THIITHUKUDI: More than 20 residents of Vallanadu Kasba village suffered food poisoning, and eight of them were rushed to a private hospital in Tirunelveli on Thursday evening, allegedly after consuming contaminated water from the Thamirabarani River. The victims had also allegedly eaten non-vegetarian food during a temple festival.
Dr M Yazhini, district health officer, told TNIE that the victims might have used the same water from the river, which was allegedly used by others to take a bath and defecate in. She added, “Eight people suffered food poisoning, of whom three returned home after receiving outpatient treatment. Five others were admitted to a private hospital, and three of them were discharged on Friday. Our officials visited the others.”
The district administration in a statement said, “Chlorinated drinking water was supplied through the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) and local water sources to Vallanadu Kasba village to meet the basic needs of the public. When the Thambiratti Amman temple festival was held in the village, some people reportedly consumed water from a nearby waterbody instead of the chlorinated water. It also came to light that a few of them had also eaten leftover mutton from the festival.”
The statement added that, based on instructions from the collector, TWAD, rural development, health department, and food safety department officials visited the village to inspect the water consumed and the quality of the food. Additionally, a medical team has also been stationed in the village to provide necessary treatment to those affected.
Some locals also claimed that some people who drank water that was supplied to their houses by the TWAD Board also suffered from food poisoning.